Explain the differences between an inner class and a nested class in Java programming language.

In Java, the term "nested class" is a general term for all classes declared within another class. Nested classes are divided into two types:

1. Static nested class — declared with the static modifier. It does not have direct access to the non-static members of the outer class.

2. Inner class — a non-static nested class that is associated with an instance of the outer class and has access to its non-static fields and methods.

Example:

public class Outer {
    private int outerField = 10;

    // Inner class
    class Inner {
        void print() {
            System.out.println("Outer field: " + outerField);
        }
    }

    // Static nested class
    static class StaticNested {
        void print() {
            System.out.println("Static nested class does not have direct access to outerField");
        }
    }
}

Thus, the inner class is associated with an instance of the outer class and can access its non-static members, whereas the static nested class cannot.